Interesting: No Scores

I mean, no scores anywhere.

Sox-Tigers are going into the fifth scoreless.
Braves-Mets also going into the fifth scoreless.
Phillies-Pirates into the third with no score.
Nats-Cubs just starting out.

Way to get off with a bang, MLB!

:)

We Made It: Happy Opening Day

The grandest of all April days is upon is, folks. Today, in just two short hours and four short minutes, Justin Verlander will be toeing the rubber, staring down Jacoby Ellsbury. Hopefully Pretzels responds with a refreshing 'we've got this, calm down' home run on the first pitch. Hey, I know he's no Dewey, but there's always a chance, right?

Though, the 'Relax' thing has always been more Munchkin than Pretzels. I guess I can wait for the second batter of the season. All I really care about is seeing our boys put together good at-bats and give a damn. And hell, if we're going to try to beat Justin Verlander, this early in the season might be the best time to do it. Early in the season when people are still trying to fully get back in the swing of things is the best time to pummel them. For the sake of denial, let's not apply that same logic to the impending work of Jon Lester.

For those who are not yet aware, the Sox lineup for today's game is this:

Pretzels (CF)
Munchkin (2B)
Ernie (1B)
Papi (DH)
Asshat (3B)
Sweeney (RF)
Ross (LF)
Salty (C)
Caviles (SS)
Lester (P)

Just a few short hours.... I can't sit still, I'm so excited. And I promise, no matter what the result of the game, I won't have an angry post tonight or tomorrow.

Happy Opening Day, friends. We're here. We've made it.
All I can say, and all I want to hear is this (trust me, you've been waiting for it too!) - PLAY BALL!

Get Ready: Twenty-Six Hours Till Opening Day

I'm excited. Of course I am! What actual baseball fan isn't? I'm excited, but I'm not sold. I guess I just have to prepare for letdown, but God help that team if they lose the first twelve games of the season. More like God help my blood pressure...

Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Kelly Shoppach (from here on out, Shoppy) at catcher? Neither one is Varitek, so I am automatically unenthused. I guess 'Not Being Tek' is unfair criticism. Neither one of them had a say in the matter. I like to believe if they did, they would have chosen to be Tek. It will, however, be interesting to see what Salty will bring to the table after working under the tutelage of my favorite player. If I'm being honest (which, when it comes to Tek, I don't necessarily feel like I need to be), if either one of them can throw out base runners consistently and hit .240, I'll survive.

Ernie does not concern me at all. Nor does Munchkin. They'll be wonderful!

Mike Aviles at short? I don't know. Does having large calves make one a better shortstop? Can I call him Calviles? I don't know. I guess we'll find out.

Youk at third? Let's see if he can stay healthy. He's been pretty fragile lately.

Outfield. Besides Pretzels, do we HAVE outfielders? I think once Crawford returns from the wrist injury, he'll be worlds better than he was last year. Till then? Not at all sure what to expect from left and right, but if Pretzels is in center, I guess that'll be fine.

Papi? He's Papi. Come on now.

Pitching staff? Excuse my while I do my ostrich impression and bury my head in the ground. I'm not even sure I WANT to look. Bum thumbs and DUIs do not a great pitching staff make. There's no way it's going to be as bad as it was last year. John Lackey is on the DL, so it absolutely cannot be that bad.

I like baseball, so I'm going to enjoy the season... I just might not be pleasant about my enjoyment, so don't be surprised if you see a lot of overreactions like the one about Beckett's thumb. I'm not really THAT insane. It's just a little venting, is all.

Tomorrow, one o'clock. Opening Day. Palpable excitement!

Holy Thumbs: Sox Pitchers Damaging Digits

What the hell, guys?

What in the serious hell?

Opening day is THIS WEEK. I don't give a shit how you feel about the manager. I don't care if you're grumpy over a lack of beer. The season hasn't even started yet and half of you are hurting yourselves? Are you kidding me?

Listen, Bailey going down was fine, but Beckett? F off. I do not care in the slightest if your thumb is sore. Rub some dirt on it, suck it up, and be on the mound for game two. This is ridiculous! I'm legitimately angry right now. Josh has no right injuring himself at the start of the season. NO RIGHT.

100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. We celebrate by continuing our reenactment from last September.

My heart cannot, CANNOT, deal with the stress of another April like last April. I want the rest of the team bubble wrapped, stat! Not in five minutes, right goddamn now.

Ridiculous. So stupid. Rabble rabble rabble. Grumble grumble

Hopefully Not Breaking News: Bailey Injured, With Shampoo Bottle

If it weren't for that shampoo bottle, we might never have known why Andrew Bailey was pitching shitty. This is wonderful news. Don't you think it's wonderful news? I mean, goodness, we didn't need a closer anyway. Now that Bard is undeservingly and inexplicably in the starting rotation, and Paps is flapping his jaw in Philly, who's going to close? Aceves?

It's unsettling, this feeling of crashing and burning before the season gets under way. But with no closer, a makeshift shortstop, nobodies in the outfield, a pissed off pitching rotation, a manager who cannot SHUT THE HELL UP, and a GM who, for all intents and purposes, truly seems like he has no idea what he's doing? Yeah, unsettled. I guess the only cure for this is going to be Thursday. The beginning of baseball season. It's not going to tell us everything we need to know, but at least the panic won't matter as much. Baseball! On TV! Who the heck need panic anyway?

I know I'm ready for it. Are you?

Curt Schilling: Am I The Only One Who Doesn't Hate Him?

I have to begin this by saying I was listening to WEEI on my way to work this morning, so my perception of how the common fan feels about Curt Schilling is pretty skewed right now. Desperately in need of a reality check, I ask the above question. Am I the only one who doesn't hate Curt Schilling?

I know he talks a lot, and he's got a lot of opinions that I flat out don't agree with, but it's his job to spout off right now. He works for ESPN as an analyst. As an analyst, I WANT to hear his take on how he thinks everything is going with the Sox. Why is he any less qualified to give his opinion than any other analyst?

Go ahead and take a look at some of his comments. A lot of people are angry and calling him a hypocrite. I want to believe that the average, reasonably intelligent person doesn't think he's a hypocrite, but I truly want to know how people feel about him. I don't think he's hypocritical. Am I missing something?

"There’s a lot of things I think that are happening not just from his perspective, but when you talk to these guys — and I’m still talking to some of these guys — I don’t think this is going well. And I think it’s going bad quicker than I expected it to." - Curt Schilling

Who do you think Schilling keeps in touch with? My guess is probably Beckett, maybe Youk and Papi. Possibily Pedroia, just because I think Pedroia will talk to anyone who will listen to how wonderful he is (and I do think he's wonderful). There's been a lot of turnaround on this club since he last toed the rubber for them. I can't imagine he formed such permanent bonds with so many of the players. So let's think about this... assuming that Curt is talking to Josh, because that's what I think is the most logical... we all know Josh isn't happy about the whole Bobby V. thing. Maybe I'm just making rash assumptions here, but I think that we've had enough hints from Josh that he's not thrilled about it.  So Curt calls Josh. Josh says he thinks Bobby as manager is a bad idea. Curt also believed Bobby as manager was a bad idea. Curt goes to work and says 'I don't think it's going well.' What's the problem here? (EDIT: I guess Josh hasn't kept in contact. Doesn't matter, though. Plug any player into the above scenario and I still don't see the problem)

I have to admit, I was starting to buy into the whole Bobby V. thing, but spring training isn't even over yet and he's been on my nerves for the last two weeks. I don't think it's going well either. I think he needs to shut up. If I were an analyst for ESPN, I would say that I think Bobby V. is a loudmouth and his penchant for blabbing is going to make this team hate him.

I don't know. I know I'm missing something here, but if Curt is doing his job, why is everyone so angry?

Theo: Screws Us Again

Chris Carpenter. It took months to agree for the Cubs to send us Chris Carpenter as compensation for our jerk of a former GM.

And now? Now Chris Carpenter is going to have elbow surgery. And will be out indefinitely. Thanks a lot, Theo, you jackass.

It's not bad enough that Theo signed a bunch of really terrible contracts with guys like John Lackey. It's not enough that he bolted to the Cubs after the worst collapse the Sox have ever suffered. It's not enough that he took complete advantage of our front office (though I blame them more than him for that) in the whole negotiation process for compensation. Now, the compensation we did get is injured, so we essentially got no compensation at all. As if I needed another reason to dislike Theo.

In other news, Jed Lowrie is hurt. Again. Reports coming out of every part of the country say that no one is surprised, and we're all shocked he lasted this long without spraining or breaking something.

Opening day was yesterday. Happy belated opening day, all! Today, in game two of the season, Josh Reddick hit a home run for Oakland that had them sitting pretty atop Seattle the last time I checked. I could check now and see what the final was, but I don't care that much. Because the real opening day is not for another week. Literally, one week from now, we have real, stat-affecting baseball! I can't believe it, either. And just 15 days from now, Opening Day at Fenway. I can't wait. I really cannot wait. If I find a way to fast forward time, I'm doing it. I don't care what special events or important occassions anyone else has in the next 15 days. You're skipping them. Sorry.

In just one week, Jon Lester will take the hill for the first time this season. The anticipation is killing me.